


Don’t Say His Name

by soulofme



Series: Don’t Say His Name [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Drabble, Gen, M/M, clone shiro - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-19
Updated: 2017-11-19
Packaged: 2019-02-04 07:57:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12766542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soulofme/pseuds/soulofme
Summary: “How? When?”“I don’t know,” Keith says. His voice wobbles slightly, but he clears his throat in an attempt to hide it. It works, for the most part. “I just thought you didn’t feel right.”“Right,” Kuron mutters. He stares into his mug of steaming Altean tea, feeling incredibly nauseous as the sickly sweet scent wafts up to his nose. “Of course I didn’t.”





	Don’t Say His Name

**Author's Note:**

> Title from Too Soon by Vanic ft. Maty Noyes.

“I know you’re not him.”

Kuron looks up at the door, nearly dropping his mug out of shock. Keith stares back at him, unwavering, arms crossed tightly over his chest. Kuron can feel how his heartbeat kicks up to a rabbit pace, thumping thunderously in his ears. He swallows hard and places his hands onto the countertop delicately, resting his weight against it.

“What?” he asks, trying to keep his voice level.

“But I’d like for you to try to be,” Keith continues. It takes Kuron a few moments to recognize it as the second part of a statement.

 _I know you’re not him, but I’d like for you to try to be_.

Kuron can feel how his eyebrows pinch together tightly as he tries his best to process Keith’s words. He can feel how Keith’s eyes pierce into him, how he makes him feel beyond vulnerable. He sorts through his time here, trying to pick up on anything that could have given him away. His orders were to assimilate. He was to fit in so well, so perfectly, that no one, not even Kuron himself, would be able to tell that he didn't belong.

He doesn’t know how Keith figured out. He’s not sure if he _wants_ to know, if he wants the image of Keith picking him apart, desperate to find the slightest anomaly. He doesn’t want to know how spectacularly he’s failed.

“Why?”

“We need our fearless leader,” Keith says, his voice carefully blank and void of all emotions. His eyes give him away, though. They’re filled with pain, raw, unbridled pain that makes Kuron flinch when he catches sight of them.

“I thought you were their leader.”

“I’m not him,” Keith says, all harsh edges and acid. “I could never _be_ him.”

“And me?”

“You?” Keith pauses to regard him. “You had everyone fooled.”

“But not you,” Kuron finishes. He works his jaw hard and reaches up to rub at the back of his neck. “How? When?”

“I don’t know,” Keith says. His voice wobbles slightly, but he clears his throat in an attempt to hide it. It works, for the most part. “I just thought you didn’t feel right.”

“Right,” Kuron mutters. He stares into his mug of steaming Altean tea, feeling incredibly nauseous as the sickly sweet scent wafts up to his nose. “Of course I didn’t.”

“The Galra sent you.”

“Yes.”

“And told you—what, to destroy us from the inside?”

“Yes.”

Keith exhales heavily and walks towards the counter. He pulls out one of the stools and drops himself down onto it heavily. Kuron can’t look him in the eye, even as he feels Keith’s searching gaze rake all over his body.

“Are there others?”

“I’m sure there are.”

“Don’t fuck with me.”

“I’m not,” Kuron insists. Keith looks doubtful, but he pretends he can’t see that. “They didn’t tell me about any of that. They just said that I had a mission to complete. I’m sure they thought about what would happen if I failed. They probably had others just in case.”

“So they’re just on stand-by waiting for you to fuck up?

“I guess,” Kuron offers, hoping it’s good enough for Keith.

“You’re supposed to kill us, right?”

“Not everyone,” Kuron says. He lets the words hang in the air, hoping Keith won’t question it. When Keith sits up straighter in his seat, eyes narrowed and sharp, he supposes he shouldn’t have expected such a small mercy.

“Then who? Allura?”

“No.” Kuron wets his dry lips and takes a deep breath. “You.”

“Me,” Keith echoes flatly.

“I’ve got most of his memories,” Kuron goes on. “The big ones. Anything that mattered, really. You show up a lot. He considered you to be a close friend. The Galra want to exploit that.”

“A close friend?” Keith mutters, snorting bitterly. “Great.”

Kuron stares down into his murky tea again, cringing when his eyes take in his reflection. He feels a multitude of things right now, but more than anything he feels overwhelmingly disgusted with himself. It’s not like he chose to become who he is, but seeing how affected Keith is by the truth sure doesn’t do much to make him feel better. And, judging by Keith’s words, it’s more than apparent that he feels strongly for Shiro. He had probably felt beyond betrayed once he realized Shiro had never returned, that Kuron was just a cheap imitation of him.

“I’m sorry. I’m sure you loved Shiro a lot.”

“Don’t say his name.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Stop apologizing,” Keith adds, a hand curling into a tight fist on the counter. He shakes his head again, a clear rejection of Kuron’s words. “Is he dead?”

“I don’t know,” Kuron replies. “I wish I did.”

“Okay,” Keith says, sounding too far accepting of that.

Kuron swallows hard, hesitantly raising his eyes to meet Keith’s.

“They called me Kuron.”

“Clone,” Keith whispers, more to himself than anything. “It fits, doesn’t it?”

Kuron presses his lips together into a thin line. “You can call me that. Since I’m not…him.”

“No,” Keith says, drumming his fingers against the counter. “You are him. You’re him for however long you need to be. You’re him for however long you’re _here_.”

“I’ll only be able to leave once you’re dead,” Kuron says. “There would be no point in returning if you’re still alive. The Galra wouldn’t like that.”

“I’m sure they wouldn’t,” Keith replies darkly. He laughs softly to himself. “I suppose you’ll have to get to work, then.”

He stands to his feet and tucks his hands into his pockets.

“Don’t let the others find out," Keith warns him.

“I won’t.”

“Good,” Keith says. He starts to turn, but he stops himself and faces Kuron again. “One more thing.”

“What is it?” Kuron asks. Keith jerks his chin towards the cup of tea.

“He always puts milk in his tea,” Keith says. “If you’re gonna be him, you might as well get it right.”

He turns back around and walks out of the kitchen. Kuron listens to his footsteps until they’re gone, his heart feeling incredibly heavy in his chest. He stares down at his cup, feeling sick to his stomach.

“I’m sorry,” he says again, and the thought that Keith might one day believe those words is the only thing that brings him any comfort.


End file.
